A Tale of Two Taylors
by amdragjakelong'sgurl
Summary: I'm sorry, did you just say Two Taylors? Yes. Yes I did. Mac's got a daughter that he didn't know about. She's eighteen. She has a way of reading people. And what's wrong with Flack? Flack/OC Jo/OC friendship.
1. Chapter 1

Mac was sitting at his desk, working late again, as usual. A soft tap sounded on his door. I delicate looking blonde girl around eighteen was standing there. He stood, motioning her to enter.

"Can I help you?" He asked, not unkindly.

"Are you Detective Mac Taylor?" She replied, her eyes meeting his hazel.

"Yes, I am. And you are?"

She said nothing, simply handing him a folded, slightly wrinkled, off white envelope. He furrowed his brow, before taking it, and opening it. A letter fell out, along with a small golden locket in the shape of a circle with M&N printed on it in cursive script.

He stared at the locket for a few seconds before watching the girl sit in a chair quietly, looking at her hands folded in her lap. He returned his attention to the letter.

_My Dearest Mac Taylor,_

_I know it's been a very long time since you've seen me. Since we were seventeen, eighteen years ago, I believe. I know you're probably still sour about how I left, in the middle of the night, without a word or visible reason. But I did have a reason, and it turned out to be a very good one. Look at the child standing in front of you _(Mac did, then continued reading) _That child, Rachael, is the reason I left._

_She was born on October 31st, 1993, nine months after I left you. She's yours, Mac, ours. She's got your bravery, your brain, and your stubborness. I'm sorry that I left, but I didn't think we were ready for a family, no matter how much we were in love. We were still only kids. I'd take it all back if it were at all possible. I'd go back and raise her with you._

_I also wish I could be telling you all this in person, but I can't. I'm dying, Mac. Stage four liver cancer. The doctors, even Rachael say I won't live to see the light of the next week. Rachael needs someone now, and, although you have missed all eighteen of her years, she knows you. I told you, she's smart. She figured out who her father was when she was nine, and has been keeping tabs on you since, even if I didn't know it. This is your chance, Mac. Raise her. Love her. Be good to her, and For God's sake, let her be a lab rat. How I wish to see you bond with her. Perhaps I'll be looking on from heaven. _

_ Forever and Always,_

_ Nicolett Desperau._

Mac grabbed the locket, and opened it, just to see how legit this letter was. There it was, a very old photo booth picture from Chicago. He stayed silent, in shock, before looking back at the girl, Rachael Desperau. He could see it; see himself. He was in the shape of her eyes, her nose and lips, even her hands were similar. He knew she was like her mother too, though. In the blonde hair and blue eyes, the dimples visible, even when she wasn't smiling. He had to be sure though.

"You're going to do a DNA test, aren't you?" She spoke quietly. Mac nodded.

"Just to be sure. If it's true, then you stay, not many questions asked. I hope you don't mind white walls for tonight, at least. I can have someone go with you tomorrow to get some paint. You definately stay tonight though. We'll check the results in the morning. "

"Do you ramble often, Detective?" Rachael wasn't uncomfortable calling him dad, but figured he might be.

"I-No, I don't." He furrowed his brow again. He held the door open for her. "So you like lab work?"

She nodded.

"Squeamish?" He held up a needle so he could take the blood.

"Not at all. I'd do it myself, but I think you'd prefer to do it."

"Are you an anthropologist, Rachael?" Mac asked, smiling slightly.

"Not yet." Was the swift reply. Mac quickly took the blood from her, then himself.

"Alright. Now we check tomorrow. I can get ready, and we'll go. Sound okay?"

"Fine by me." Rachael put her hands in her pockets, smiling up at him.

Mac hurried to get his office shut down, and got his coat.

"Okay, ready?"

"Yep," She followed Mac to the elevator, standing quietly until they sat in his car.

"Are you hungry?"

"No, I ate before I got to the lab." She pushed a short piece of blonde hair behind her ear, licking her lips. She'd need chapstick soon, with the confusion of the past month, she didn't bother going to get some more.

"Oh, good." Last thing Mac needed was for her to starve. "We're here." Mac pulled up in front of a house, in the more suburban area of New York. He opened the door up for her, and shut it when she had her bag over her shoulder. He hadn't noticed the back-pack the whole car ride.

Mac Taylor's apartment wasn't much, but it was home.

"Sorry if it's not what you're used to. Where were you living before? Chicago?"

"Vegas, actually. And it's better then a motel room." Rachael smiled.

"Vegas? I know a guy or two from Vegas."

"Langston? I know him too."

"Ho-"

"Worked in the crime lab one summer for a little extra cash. Never really talked to anybody though."

"I see. Well, here's your room." Mac opened the door to the white room. It had a black on white color scheme.

"Wow. I love it. I mostly slept on the couch in Vegas. Ma didn't have much money. She had bookies to pay off her bookies. I took care of that, though."

"Do I need to arrest you?"

"No," Rachael laughed. "I payed them."

"You're eighteen. How could you have possibly paied them?"

"I had friends." Rachael shrugged. "A good friend named Simone and her boyfriend Nick from LVPD helped a lot. Simone wrote a book and she's a Forensic Anthropologist. I helped her with her book so she gave me seventy five percent of what she made off it."

"So the book made a lot?"

"Oh yes." She raised her eyes to the ceiling, calculating. "50,000 by the end of the first month of sales."

"Amazing. I'll see you in the morning, Rachael. My room is down the hall, if you need anything." Mac watched the girl nod and settle onto the bed and look around the room. As the two Taylors settled down to sleep, they wondered what life would now be like.


	2. Chapter 2

Rachael awoke around eight in the morning. She was disoriented for a few seconds, wondering where on earth she was. She could hear the City traffic in the distance and sighed. She was in New York, in the home of her father, Mac Taylor.

Mac knocked on the door a few moments later.

"Rachael?" He called through the door. "Get dressed, we're heading to the lab."

Rachael smiled and got up, dressing in her normal jeans and nice shirt combo. She changed her lip piercing to match her outfit. She didn't have many clothes to choose from two shirts including the one she wore yesterday. Two pairs of jeans. Two lip studs. And her converse. that was all she could fit in her bag. She was going to call Simone or Greg or Nick and have it all sent over if she could stay here with Mac.

She walked into the foyer and saw Mac standing there at the door.

"Ready?" Rachael nodded and he smiled. "Let's get going."

They got to the lab in record time; both wanted to see the results, though Rachael already knew what they would be. Mac stared at the paper for a good two minutes before turning to Rachael.

"I suppose I'll be expecting a few boxes to be arriveing sometime between now and the next couple of weeks?"

Rachael laughed.

"Yes, I suppose so. Dad." She paused, her eyes twinkling. "I've never used that term before. Wow."

"If it's not to busy today, I'll send you, Lindsay and Jo to get some paint."

"About that. I don't know what I'll do about it. I guess it can just stay white untill I figure out what I want to paint."

"You're an artist."

"Yeah."Her eyes got really didstant. "Mom said I was one of the best she's ever seen."

"Your mother's seen a lot of amazing artists. It was her hobby. I remember our first date was to the art-"

"Art museum. She told me."

The two Taylors paused, remembering Nicolett. A knock on the glass door to Mac's office snapped them out. Rachael looked up from Mac's office couch, where she had seated herself as her father read the results.

"Hey Mac." The woman at the door stepped in. "Who's this?" She smiled, sticking out a hand. "I'm Jo Danville."

"Rachael Desperau-Ta- uhm." She looked up at Mac as she broke off, biting her lip.

"Taylor. Rachael Desperau-Taylor." He smiled at his daughter. "Jo, meet my daughter."

"I never knew you had a daughter!"

"Neither did I." Mac then went on to explain how Rachael came to be.

"Well I have an idea. How about we just go out to dinner and you can explain to everyone then. In the mean time, let's take you shoping! I've seen Mac's apartment and I've seen that room. It's not much, lets go get some color!" Jo pulled the girl up off of the couch.

"Uh, Bye, dad!" Rachael managed to hear Mac laugh and order Jo to take Lindsay, too.

"So how old are you?" Jo asked, once they had roped Lindsay, and supprisingly, Danny, into shopping. Rachael sat in back with him, Jo was driving, and Lindsay called shotgun.

"Eighteen." She crossed her legs and jumped as she got a text. She opened it and smiled when she saw it was from Greg.

**G-We're sending your crap whether you're living there or not.**

**R-I am, thanks. **

**G-You should have just let me do the test.**

**R- Like he'd believe it that way. Go bug your sister I'm busy!**

"What are your favorite colors?" Danny asked her once they were in the paint store.

"Well, my actual painting stuff will be getting here by next week, and I only have an idea for one of the many walls in my room, since it's very...oddly shaped. So just the navy and sky blues. And skyscraper gray."

"Oh you have the abstract room. It was an observatory at one point but the person before Mac took the windows out and made it into like half an octogon half an actual bedroom and it's really weird. He gave you the biggest room. There's a built in bathroom in there somewhere." Danny handed her the sky blue paint and grabbed the other two, begining to carry them to the check out. Jo and Lindsay were waiting in the car.

"Which I'll probably keep the same." Rachael didn't really care much about that at this point.

Danny paied for the paint, which Rachael fussed over. He told her it was his welcoming presant to her, as long as he got to see the finished product. She told him it may take a while. She didn't tell him, however, that she'd gotten another idea for what to put on her wall. She couldn't wait for her art supplies to come in.

Trying to find bedding for the bed that Mac had in the bedroom was a bit harder than the paint, since the bed was a perfect square instead of a rectangular mattress. But they'd managed. Jo bought her the black comforter with a huge purple flower on it. She'd really liked it. And just like that, Rachael had something else to have on her walls.

After that, they just shopped for accessories. Lindsay bought her Purple lamps to match her bed to go on the bedside tables she already had. They were black, so they still matched. Then Rachael declered anything else that was being purchased for her would be bought by her. She bought blacklight reactive beaded curtains for every door she had, and for her window. She then bought two blacklights, and grinned at her new friends. By eleven in the morning, she had paint, stuff for her room, and four ideas to have in her room.

She sat quietly in Mac's office once they got done dropping the stuff off at the apartment. She had a graph paper notebook placed carefully in her lap and was listening to her father talk on the phone. He was actually talking to Catherine Willows and Simone Sanders about when her stuff would be arriving.

She had sketched Danny, Lindsay, Mac and Jo, as well as the skyline in her plain sketch book. Now she was working on the layout of the house, trying to see in she was going to need the spare room, Mac had offered, for her makeup and art supplies. No more then three seconds after he hung up with Las Vegas, did his phone ring again.

"Taylor." He paused and listened to the other voice. "On my way." He hung up and grabbed his suit jacket. "Rachael, I'm sitting you down with Adam, okay?" She nodded, gathering her sketchbook and pencils, following Mac to one of the labs.

Adam was a scruffy man, but kind none the less. Rachael was shocked at his lack of reaction when Mac ordered him to let her sit there and not to bother her and to let her do any tests she wanted.

"So...He's got a daughter now?" Adam was doing his tests whil Rachael sketched him.

"Yes, I suppose." She squealed as she messed up the drawing and ripped the page out to start over. Adam laughed at this. He knew that the two of them were going to get along really easily. He instantly offered his services to help her with moving in her stuff when it arrive. He flinched at the mention of makeup, but still wanted to help.

But hey, he liked this girl! He'd help if she needed it!


End file.
